


Stronger Together

by DualityAwakes



Category: Life Is Strange 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety, Brothers, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, The Truth is Out There
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:08:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29789649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DualityAwakes/pseuds/DualityAwakes
Summary: "You'll see when you tell him the truth about Seattle that sharing the same pain will make you stronger together, eventually."In the motel, Sean tells Daniel the truth about Dad.
Relationships: Daniel Diaz & Sean Diaz
Kudos: 10





	Stronger Together

**Author's Note:**

> i love these characters so fucking much
> 
> my first fic, a bit of a 'what-if' for sean and daniel's conversation that we never got to see.

_‘I can tell he doesn't know what happened. Sean, at some point... you're gonna have to tell him.’_

_‘I know... I just have to find the right time... ‘_

_‘Take it from me... the sooner you can address it, the better. ‘_

_‘Yeah. I'm gonna do it next chance I get. It's just... It's not gonna be easy... ‘_

\---

Their conversation is on a loop in Sean’s head. Brody is right, Sean knows that he’s right, but that doesn’t make the tight knot in his gut feel any better. He can’t begin to think about how he’ll tell Daniel--hell, he’s barely been able to tell himself. He’d spent the last two days pushing it down, burying it as deep as it needed to go in order to protect his little brother.

At one point Brody did manage to coax it out of him, because he’s Brody. Given the opportunity to put the incident in Seattle into words, everything just...came out. Sean’s fear, loathing, and grief finally boiled over. At the time he couldn’t do anything but be a vulnerable mess, and he had barely kept himself from drowning under the wave of emotion. Despite that, a small part of Sean is glad for the release. Maybe now it won’t happen when he’s with Daniel.

Sean takes a peek behind his seat. Daniel is still laid out in the back of Brody’s station wagon, Mushroom curled up under his arm, sleeping like a baby. Why the hell does he have to look so peaceful, like everything is okay? Sean hadn’t been able to find that kind of peace since everything happened, will Daniel feel the same way?

 _‘It’s not gonna be easy’_ , _yeah, understatement of the fucking century,_ Sean thought.

Eventually, he settles his gaze on the coast, though he isn't particularly aware of it at this point. He's too far in his head, processing what he'd committed himself to. Sean can only stress about how Daniel will react. His mind drifts back to the incident, and he becomes rather grateful that Daniel doesn't remember it. The shot, Daniel's scream, the explosion tearing the world apart around them.

The broken officer lying in the street.

_What the fuck was that?_

He tries to find peace in his sketchbook. If nothing else, drawing would help him keep the shit at bay. The page becomes littered with random thoughts and memories of the day, drifting through everything except Dad. Where they’d been, where they’re going, all of it was put to the paper. As usual, his notes pull him back to reality. When he finally looks at the page, his eyes keep trailing back to his scribbled reminder, the one thing that every fiber of his being wanted to ignore.

_I still have to tell him._

Fuck.

\---

As promised, Brody had pulled over in front of a motel. Sean had surprised himself by dozing off and was now shaking himself out of his stupor. Daniel is definitely wide awake, though, and playing in the sand with Mushroom. Sitting on a rock and watching the two of them is doing little to temper his dread at the task ahead.

_Glad to see him act like a kid again... How will I tell him?_

And there it is again. He’s been racking his brain for hours, hoping to find an answer. Instead, all he gets is a lump in his throat. He isn’t good at just saying what he needs to say, and anything remotely serious always brings the awkwardness right out. Lyla always says that his favorite word is ‘uhh’. He can’t do that with Daniel, they’re screwed if Sean lets himself crack like that.

So, he just sits there, sifting through the maelstrom of thoughts and emotions whirling around in his head. Wandering through half-remembered conversations with Daniel, picking apart the many what-ifs, and trying to find the words for everything that he needs to say. He even let himself think about the incident. The fight with Brett. Everyone yelling at once, trying to keep the peace.

The hole in Dad’s chest.

Thinking about Seattle is like picking at a scab. It hurts, and everything is screaming for Sean to stop and just let it be. But he knows better, knows that he’s powerless to quit. He’ll just keep digging and picking at it until he finally rips the wound back open and feels that same raw fire as if everything had just happened.

_For Daniel, it will be just happening._

Maybe he can get away with the no-bullshit approach. Just come clean and be real, put it all on the table and see what happens. It always works with Dad.

 _Worked_ with Dad.

Ah, fuck. Nope, not again, not now. Sean leans forward with a huff, picking up a stick. He’s jumping off of this runaway train, he’s stressed enough without taking another trip down this fucked up rabbit hole. He uses Daniel and the dog as a distraction, waving the stick over.

A game of fetch quickly takes off. Okay, maybe grabbing this little pup wasn’t Daniel’s _worst_ idea. The antics manage to pull Sean out of his own head, at least for one blissful minute. Seeing just how invested Daniel is in the game is a bit warming; until Brody’s return reels him back in. After some unexpected gifts and surprisingly heartfelt goodbyes, Brody leaves the two of them to it.

\---

They managed to get settled without any drama, at least. Sean kept himself together long enough to get Daniel in the bath, and was pleasantly surprised when there wasn’t a fight over it.

_It must’ve been the bubbles._

After leaving the kid to his washing, Sean’s attention immediately goes to the handwritten letter from Brody. Sean took the letter with a slight sigh, drifting over to his bed.

Sean spends more time than he expected with the letter, digesting Brody’s parting message, his words of wisdom and encouragement. Brody says that sharing this pain will make them stronger together, and they’ll need that. As skeptical as Sean is, something within him wants that to be true.

_At least I won’t be alone._

That’s new, thinking of Daniel as some kind of supportive figure. He’s been the one leaning on Sean for strength for as long as either of them can remember. Even since Seattle, while Sean has been slowly drowning in this new hell that he’s in, he hasn’t been able to do anything but bear it alone, telling himself it’s all to protect Daneil. It’s always him helping Daniel.

Heh. Dad had to pull teeth just to convince Sean to help Daniel do his homework. When Sean would complain that he isn't even good at math, Dad would fire back with _‘Teaching someone is the best way to learn, hijo,’_ said with that signature disarming smile. It didn’t always cut through Sean’s griping, but that never stopped Dad.

_Maybe I’ll figure out how to deal with it by helping Daniel deal with it._

He can only hope.

Sean puts the letter back on the table and stares at his phone for a moment, mulling over Brody’s advice to dispose of it. Figuring there won't be a better time to get rid of it, Sean snatches the phone with a resigned sigh. Brody's warning about being twice as careful is ringing in his head as he steps out onto the room's balcony.

He can't quite bring himself to throw it, not yet. Instead, he just stares at the screen, seeing his messy reflection staring back at him. Then it lights up with a flurry of texts. Shit, it's Lyla, she saw that he's online. His mind is back to racing, the predicament with Daniel almost becoming an afterthought as he reads Lyla's messages. She's worried as hell, Sean just pictures her spinning out as she's texting him. Shit, shit, shit…

_This is going to bite me in the ass. Fuck it._

Their call doesn't last long. Sean had hoped that talking with Lyla would just wash the worry away for a bit. Of course it didn't, of course she was freaking out. It took everything he had to not just spill everything, tell her where they're at, where they're going. Instead, he'd left her with a vague promise that they'd see each other again, and hung up.

So he’s back where he started, holding the weight of the world on his shoulders and barely keeping himself from breaking down. What he wouldn’t give for a smoke right now.

Settling into the balcony chair, some part of his brain decides it’s easier to just keep going down. He starts scrolling through the camera, the contents of his phone washing over him. It’s full of photos and videos from their old life. Birthdays, random selfies, holiday videos. Lots of memories.

_Will we ever make more?_

He pulls up a video from last Christmas, and of course the first sound would be Dad’s voice. His inner strength melts away, that last little barrier keeping everything in being broken. Dad joked about presents, Daniel’s expression morphed from frustration to glee at their new Playbox, and Sean watches it all through silent tears.

When the video ends, Sean just stares at the screen. His thoughts are a whirlwind, leaving his mind paralyzed by whatever he’d just pulled up from within himself. The bathroom door opening behind him finally snaps him out of his daze.

_Shit._

Sean stands up, drifting to the edge of the balcony. He stares down at his phone, watching resolve take over his features as he steels himself for what’s next. He can’t think for too long, he can’t let himself find more excuses. Mustering the will to do it, Sean quickly throws the phone as hard as he can off of the balcony. When he hears the distant thud, a held breath escapes his lungs.

He feels a bit lighter, at least. One band-aid ripped off, one to go.

The relief of that moment is sapped as soon as Sean turns to go back inside. The scene before him just causes him to deflate, because of course Daniel would be dancing on the bed with a goofy grin on his face. Making him all the more aware of what he’s about to do to him. Great.

_Enjoy it while you can, enano._

One step into the room and Sean's thoughts are instantly drowned out by the blaring music coming from the TV. The kid has it way too loud, he can barely hear himself think. Daniel's about to wake the whole building up, chrissakes.

“Remember that song?! Come on, dance!” Daniel calls out, jumping over to the edge of the bed and holding out a hand to Sean.

_Just get this over with, tell him the truth._

“Man, I... I can’t dance right now, my legs are thrashed. Sorry.”

Sean grabs the remote a bit more ferociously than he expected, flipping it up and turning the TV off.

“You’re no fun,” Daniel pouts.

_You have no idea._

Running a hand through his hair, Sean faces his little brother again. Daniel isn’t all peppy anymore, at least. In fact, there isn’t much of any expression on his face, it’s like he’s just waiting for whatever’s coming next. Maybe Sean is showing more stress than he thought.

The tight knot in his gut returns. Everything he’s been stressing over, every ounce of worry that’s been pressing down on his conscience, it’s all back. This is hopeless, he doesn’t know what to say, doesn’t know what to do...fuck. Fuck. Fuck it, just...talk.

“Daniel… come here. We need to talk,” Sean squeezes out.

Following along, Daniel steps to the edge of the bed and sits down in front of Sean. He actually looks attentive now, clearly Sean caught his attention. Maybe Sean can get through this without -

“Can we get a drink first? I’m thirsty.”

_There it is._

“Right now?” Sean asks, biting off the question with a hint of annoyance.

“You said we could get a...coke! Or something…” Daniel replies rather coyly.

Sean sinks in on himself, bringing a hand up and gripping the bridge of his nose. Something within him just wants to explode. Blow the dam, let it all flood out. Say it, no, _scream_ it at Daniel. Beat him over the head with their new reality, that he doesn’t have any right to be worrying about this stupid shit right now.

Instead, Sean takes a breath, steadying himself. Getting pissed will only make this harder. He did promise that they’d get something, maybe starting this new dynamic with another lie isn’t the best idea.

_I’ve been lying to him already, don’t make it worse._

Following his better angels, Sean makes a decision. He pulls his hand down and lets a sigh leak out.

“Okay, I’ll get you a soda. But when I come back, we’re going to talk. Serious.”

Daniel screws his face up a bit, glaring at Sean.

“Fine... what’s the big deal?”

Sean leaves with an eye roll, grabbing his wallet off of the table. That’s the Daniel he knows, the little pain in the ass.

_Stop it._

The walk to the vending machine gives Sean even more time for reflection. He already feels bad for getting annoyed at Daniel. He’s all the kid has left, he can’t be like that. Not after tonight. Lyla was right, shit really does change.

Clink. Clink. Clunk. There, now Daniel can have his coke. Maybe it’ll cushion the blow. Or it’ll just make it impossible for him to sleep, who knows?

_We aren’t sleeping much anyway._

Sean turns, starting the walk back to the room. It isn’t that far, but the empty stretch between him and the door seems to go forever.

_I’m so tired._

More steps, each one a greater challenge than the last. His stomach is sinking as he locks his eyes on their room, coming closer and closer.

_I’ll be okay._

Sean comes to a stop in front of the door, staring at the faded ‘10’ mounted at eye level. He notices that he’s sweating.

_We’ll be okay._

He reaches for the doorknob, his hand steady despite his nerves. Time seems to stop as he grabs it, one moment lasting for what feels like forever. He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath.

_Just tell him the truth._

\---

“Alright, sit. We’re...talking.” Sean said, his confidence withering away almost immediately.

Every doubt creeps back into his head, every fear that’s been quietly simmering. That he won’t be able to say it, that Daniel won’t understand, that he’ll sound fake..

Daniel seems oblivious to the warzone that is Sean’s psyche, apparently content with chugging half of the soda in record time. He is definitely Sean’s little brother. Daniel takes a seat on the bed, looking up at Sean with his big brown eyes and tiny face. After a moment, his look settles into a concerned expression.

“Is this about...what happened at the gas station?” Daniel asks, the words falling in on themselves like he doesn’t want to hear the answer.

_What?_

“Daniel, that’s not-”

“I didn’t mean to get caught! I-I don’t even know what happened!” Daniel blurts out, taking on that same begging tone that he uses whenever Sean is pissed.

_You made him think he’s in trouble, great job dingus._

“Daniel-”

“I mean, he just...grabbed me! I didn’t know-”

“Daniel!” Sean says with a bit more force, taking his shoulder and giving it a shake. “It’s not about that. You’re...not in trouble.”

“...oh,” Daniel replies, sounding somewhere between relieved and confused.

Sean brings his grip down a bit, taking his brother’s hand. He reaches over and slides the soda away from Daniel, putting it on the table behind them.

“Listen, uh...what do...what do you remember about what happened with Brett?” Sean asks, overly conscious of the fact that he’s definitely making this up as he goes along.

Daniel scrunches his brow a bit. “Uhh, I...got my zombie blood on him. He grabbed me, then you showed up. You guys were...shouting.”

The boy’s furrowed brow as he tried to remember was telling Sean everything he needed to know. Daniel barely remembers anything, he certainly doesn’t remember the ugly part. That’s something Sean gets to bear alone.

Sean can’t decide whether or not he should be glad for that. He clears his throat a bit, trying to swallow the fresh lump that had formed.

“You said you weren’t mad!” Daniel whines, leaning back and pulling his hand away from Sean.

“Daniel--no. I’m...I’m not mad. I just...uh...shit.”

Sean straightens up, cursing himself for losing his thoughts. He takes another breath and tries not to focus on the heart currently beating its way out of his chest.

“Brett and I got into a fight. And...I fucked up, pushed him too hard when he came at me. He wasn’t...getting up.”

Daniel widens his eyes a bit. He looks like he’s about to say something, but Sean cuts him off, not giving him the chance. They need to get through this.

“A cop showed up. I-I tried to explain what happened. Dad came out. Everyone was shouting. Then the cop...”

He trails off, noticing that he’s now looking at his hands instead of at Daniel. The words just hang in his throat, he’s _right there_ but he just...can’t. He steps forward, reaching down and taking Daniel’s hands, forcing himself to make eye contact with his concerned little brother. Daniel looks so small, yet somehow his touch helps Sean steel his resolve. He takes a breath, then another, and forces the words out.

“The cop...shot him. He shot dad. Dad is dead.”

_Dad is dead. That’s it, that’s all._

The seconds feel like hours as the words leave his lips. All of the hand wringing, all of the nerves, all of the dread building up to this moment, and now it’s out there. Daniel’s gaze has fallen to Sean’s chest. His mouth is hanging ever so slightly open, but he isn’t...doing anything.

Sean’s mind is whirring. Why did this seem like a good idea? He spent two days keeping Daniel calm and content, and _now_ he decides to go and fuck it all up?

_Is Daniel okay?_

A hitched breath finally escapes Daniel’s throat, pulling all of Sean’s focus back to him. He starts to speak, but his focus remains low, avoiding Sean’s face.

“No,” he mutters, barely more than a whisper.

Sean starts to lean down, trying to get back to eye level. He’d intended to speak, to try to do _something_ for Daniel, but he’s cut off by a surprisingly strong shove as the kid stands up.

“No! You’re lying!”

Sean stumbles back, hitting the table with a mild thud. When he looks back at Daniel, the kid's face is filled with anger. Sean can feel his entire body shaking - this must be what it feels like to be straight-up terrified.

He doesn't have much time to dwell on it before the lights flicker, and shit starts floating around them. The walls are crackling, the beds are sliding along the carpet. Debris is whirling around the room, it's like a zero-gravity earthquake.

_Shit, it isn’t just me. What the fuck, Daniel?_

“Oh my God. Daniel, what the hell-!”

“It’s not true, you’re LYING!” Daniel shouts, the faint shine of wet eyes visible on his face. Something crashes to the floor, rattling the entire room.

“Daniel, I’m...I’m sorry!” Sean sputters, barely able to find the words as he contends with the overload of whatever the hell is going on.

“You said we were gonna see Dad! You were lying the whole time!” Daniel continues, his voice starting to crack as the grief cuts through his rage.

A picture comes off of the wall, flying across the room and shattering not too far from Sean. He flinches, twisting to protect himself, but his eyes are back on Daniel just as quickly. His little brother’s eyes say everything that the boy couldn’t. He’d lied to Daniel, over and over again, and Daniel hates him for it. Daniel doesn’t want his help. His gaze practically screams ‘you’re not my brother’.

Sean’s realization hits him like a freight train.

_Daniel thinks he’s alone._

That hurts more than anything else. Sean had spent the last two days alone, he’d felt the shock and anger and grief eating him from within while believing that he had to keep it to himself. Sean had been drowning in it, he can only imagine the kind of hurt that’d inflict on his little brother. He won’t let that happen to Daniel.

“Hey, come on, Daniel...I’m here,” Sean says, stepping toward his brother and reaching out, trying to grab him.

“Don’t touch me!” Daniel yells, putting his arms up and trying to squirm away from his brother. Sean doesn’t stop, pulling the boy into his chest and holding him tight.

“I’m here. It’s okay.”

Sean drops to his knees, bringing Daniel with him. Sean rubs his hand along Daniel’s back and Daniel grabs his arm, giving in to the embrace. As Sean leans his head onto his brother’s, the room starts to settle. The violent whirlwind fades until the only sound left is that of the mourning boys.

“No, it’s not...” Daniel says tearfully. The anger had drained from his voice, opening up the shock and hurt that lingered underneath.

“Shhh…I’m with you...”

“You should’ve told me…” Daniel whimpers, sitting back from Sean. Sean keeps his hands on Daniel’s shoulders, looking down into his eyes.

“I know. I...I just…”

“Just don’t lie to me... _ever_ again.” Daniel quietly interrupts, looking up at Sean with a held breath giving away the trepidation underneath his insisting resolve.

Sean straightens up, tightening his grip on the boy as he offers the look of certainty that Daniel seems to need.

“I promise. Never again.”

Bringing his hand around the back of Daniel’s neck, Sean presses their foreheads together, looking into his brother’s eyes.

“Never again.”

\---

Sean was right, they didn’t sleep. Most of the night was spent trying to process the events in Seattle, and trying to answer Daniel’s questions without making him feel even worse. Even with Sean’s gentle pressing, Daniel barely talked about Dad, instead wrapping his thoughts around the discovery of his strange abilities.

They left the motel early in the morning, trying to avoid any more unwanted attention. A half hour of walking later, they boarded a southbound bus and set off on the road once again. Neither of the brothers had much left to feel or say, being content to ride the mostly empty bus in silence.

Sean’s thoughts kept returning to Brody’s letter. _‘Sharing the same pain will make you stronger together, eventually,’_ he had written. Looking at the sleeping boy resting against his shoulder, Sean couldn’t do anything but agree.

Their whole world had been destroyed, but the Wolf Brothers would find a way to rebuild it. Together.

**Author's Note:**

> this was an interesting thing to write, ended up twice as long as i expected. i've rewatched that motel scene so many times now that i may know it line for line, but it still hits me just as hard.
> 
> comment, tell me what this story does for you


End file.
